7 former St. Louis Cardinals who have recently called out the organization

The St. Louis Cardinals have been one of the most professional, buttoned-up organizations in baseball over the last few decades. The organization preaches continuity, tight lips, and a connection to its storied history that few other franchises can mirror.

It's rare for former players, coaches, executives, or staff members to openly speak negatively about the organization, so when it does happen, it can be quite jarring.

More often than not, you'll hear glowing comments about the St. Louis Cardinals. From Stephen Piscotty thanking the organization for trading him to be closer to family to Matt Holliday speaking graciously about the Cardinals during his Hall of Fame speech, the list of alumni who loved their time in St. Louis is quite lengthy.

However, in recent years, the population of alumni who have grown tired with the franchise is lengthening. Several former players, coaches, and staff members have been outwardly frustrated with the way the organization has changed. No longer is "The Cardinal Way" prevalent. The Cardinals are now a calculating, analytical, hard-nosed organization that wants to do things their own way, something that can rub former players the wrong way.

There are several former players who have now spoken without the benefit of anonymity against the St. Louis Cardinals for one reason or another. For some alumni, they got tired of how they were bounced up and down as a prospect, for others it's how dated the organization was in its player development, and still for others, it's about how the franchise has lost its connection to the past.

Here are seven former Cardinals who have spoken out against the organization in recent memory.

RHP Paul Schwendel

Paul Schwendel may not be a name you're familiar with, but the former Cardinal spoke out against the organization's pitching development back in 2023.

This saga started with Eno Sarris of The Athletic posting on Twitter/X that the Cardinals rank near the bottom of most advanced pitching metrics, particularly Stuff+, a stat devised by Sarris himself. Schwendel added credence to Sarris's findings in a response he posted on the site, too.

"Our director of player development for the Cardinals came to town when I was playing in their system in Peoria 2 years ago and told us to stop trying to strike people out," said Schwendel. "Throw fastballs down the middle and have the hitters on base or out in 3 pitches. A coach pulled us aside afterwards and told us that the analysts didn't see it that way and we should be trying to punch people out. Incoherent strategy in that org on the pitching front. They had pitching coaches with no idea how to use Trackman."

Schwendel was with the organization for just one year in 2021, and the rest of his career was spent in independent ball. His comments support what many believed about the Cardinals' dated and unsuccessful pitching development system at the time. Though Paul never found success in professional baseball, he still worked within the organization and saw first-hand how archaic the system was at the time.

OF Adron Chambers

Adron Chambers was a speedy outfielder who was drafted by the Cardinals in the 38th round of the 2007 MLB Draft. Chambers was drafted by the old guard of executives prior to John Mozeliak, Randy Flores, and other front office members. He was able to develop in an era of massive success for the organization, and he debuted in the 2011 World Series season. He was primarily utilized for his speed in the postseason in 2011, but Chambers did play in parts of three seasons with the Cardinals from 2011 through 2013.

Chambers recently commented via Facebook lending support to what Jim Edmonds spoke about with 101 ESPN. Chambers said, "I believe (giving) true, factual feedback can be good for fans and players. I know (hearing) the truth hurts at times, but being an honest and insightful (perspective is) great for a winning team. We gotta stop baby (these) things."

Chambers, too, believes that an honest approach to a baseball club is essential for its growth. Rather than hiding things to protect players or fans, those who are in the know about a team should speak openly about it to promote growth.

2B Kolten Wong

Kolten Wong was a fan-favorite player during the 2010s era of baseball in St. Louis. He was a scrappy, speedy, defensive-first-grinder type of player who often found himself endeared to fans of the Cardinals. Wong played in parts of eight seasons with the Cardinals, and he helped lead some of the best defensive squads of the era while with the Cardinals.

Wong has fallen off in recent years, but he was still a large presence in the clubhouse during his time here. In a 2021 interview with The Athletic, Wong spoke about the organization's hitting coaches and preparation. "It was almost like, OK, I tried to do everything that the Cardinals told me to do, how they wanted me to play this game, and, still, it wasn’t good enough," said Wong at the time.

After signing with the Milwaukee Brewers, Wong was determined to approach hitting in his own way, and it paid dividends. His OPS+ jumped back above league average, and his OPS rose from .675 in 2020 to .776 in his two years in Milwaukee.

OF Jim Edmonds

Jim Edmonds's comments are the most recent and most glaring against the organization. The four-time All-Star and eight-time Gold Glover played eight seasons in St. Louis, was a key member of the "MV3", is a St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Famer, and was a broadcaster with the team for over a decade. Suffice it to say, few people know the ins and outs of the St. Louis Cardinals more than Edmonds himself.

Edmonds spoke on The Morning After show on 101 ESPN about his relationship with the Cardinal organization. He and FanDuel Sports Network had mutually agreed to not maintain a relationship in the broadcast booth in 2025, and Edmonds didn't mince words when talking about how the organization has changed in recent years.

It’s not fun to be around, they make it pretty obvious — even the security guard’s like 'Hey, might not be a good time,'" said Edmonds. "I’m like, 'Fine with me, I don’t need to be in there (the clubhouse). If you don’t want me to tell your pitchers they’re tipping their pitch, I’m going to take my talents out here to Tennessee and learn how to be a gardener and a farmer."

SP Zac Gallen

The St. Louis Cardinals traded Zac Gallen prior to the 2019 season to the Miami Marlins as a part of the Marcell Ozuna trade. Prospects being traded for veteran stars isn't uncommon. What's uncommon is when the organization pulls the rug out from one of its best young players.

That was just the case with Gallen in 2019. While appearing on Foul Territory, Gallen spoke openly about this situation. "Long story short, the Cardinals do winter camps in the offseason, and there was one in October, one in November, and one in December. On the way home (from the camp) they traded me. If you know the Cardinals, you know they got their certain ways about how they go about some things."

Gallen missed the October and November camps for personal reasons, and he found it unfair for the team to treat him the way they did, and he continued discussing the "weird vibe" that was present at camps that winter.

OF Tommy Pham

Tommy Pham is known throughout the league as a fiery personality, someone who isn't afraid to speak (or act) impulsively and with strong emotion. He used that fire to speak out against the Cardinals after his first stint with the team.

Pham was a rookie during the 2014 season, but he was already much older than other prospects in the organization. At 26 years old, he was two, three, or even four years older than other young players like Randal Grichuk, Stephen Piscotty, and Oscar Taveras, and the St. Louis Cardinals were more apt to see what they had in these high-ceiling prospects.

Therefore, Pham was often leapfrogged for these young players, and that rubbed him the wrong way. "I said, ‘You know what, I’m the best mother------ on this team, and you guys don’t even know it,’” remembered Pham. “I said those exact words. They told me things happen, I’ll get some at-bats. I just had to wear it.

Things between Pham and the Cardinals appear to be mended, as he was a spark immediately after being acquired at the 2024 trade deadline for the Cardinals.

UTIL Tommy Edman

Tommy Edman is still finding ample success in the majors, but it wasn't long ago that he, too, spoke out against the Cardinals' game preparation for its players.

Edman was a super-utility player for the Cardinals from 2019 through 2023, and he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a three-team trade that netted the Cardinals starting pitcher Erick Fedde and the aforementioned Tommy Pham. Edman was beloved by Cardinal fans, and he did whatever it took to help the team find success during his tenure in St. Louis.

However, Edman was candid in 2021 when speaking about how the club helped batters prepare for the game. "I don’t think we’ve necessarily done the greatest job of making a game plan for how guys are gonna throw us day by day and working on things pregame," said Edman. "I think we're going to start to implement a few more of those things."

This was a comment about former hitting coach Jeff Albert and his staff. Albert's seat was hot at the time due to the underperforming offense, and Edman's comments didn't help the former coach's job security.